


Extraordinary

by blynninja



Category: Moana (2016)
Genre: Angst at the beginning, Family, Other, but a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10141556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blynninja/pseuds/blynninja
Summary: There had been female chiefs before, but only in certain cases, and Moana would be one of a handful of extraordinary women.xA look at some original storyline stuff about Moana's family that I thought was interesting.





	

Tui and Sina had married relatively young, and had dreamed of a large family, of sons to carry on Tui’s title as Chief.

But luck had not been on their side.

The first child they had conceived lived only a few days before sickness took him.

The second died before he ever left his mother’s womb.

The third lived longer than his two brothers, but only a few months—an accident while he slept claimed his life.

The fourth and fifth boys were twins, and Tui and Sina were particularly strict and careful with them, never letting the boys out of their sights.

They spent many sleepless nights worrying that the twins would stop breathing or would wander too far.

The twins lived two years before they wandered away from their parents and were lost to the ocean.

Reluctantly, they tried a sixth time, but that boy, too, died soon after birth.

Tui eventually got Sina to agree to try one more time, and this pregnancy was different from the beginning.

The baby was active the entire time, especially when Sina was near the ocean.

It was as though the water excited the baby, and it loved to be near the ocean.

As the end of the pregnancy drew nearer, Tui’s anxiety grew, and Sina declared that this would be the final child she would bear—she would not endure the heartache of loss a seventh or eighth time.

The night their daughter was born, the ocean churned and waves pelted the beach like they hadn’t in a very long time.

But the moment their baby took her first breath outside the womb, the ocean stilled.

Tui looked to his mother, whom he had given the task of naming the child because he and Sina did not want to name and lose another.

Tala smiled at him, and then at the baby, lifting her gently and proclaiming, “Little one, your name is Moana, for the ocean you already love so dearly.”

And so Tui and Sina spent years chasing Moana, trying to keep her from venturing too far or being alone at the water’s edge for any length of time.

They could see that Moana and the ocean for which she was named shared a connection. Tui was determined not to let it grow. He could not bear to lose his best friend and several of his children to the water.

So they kept Moana from the sea as much as it was in their power, focusing instead on raising her to take after her father as Chief.

There had been female chiefs before, but only in certain cases, and Moana would be one of a handful of extraordinary women.

When Moana began taking her Chief training more seriously, Tui especially was relieved, but Sina could still see the tug in Moana’s heart from the ocean, her longing to explore beyond Motonui.

So when Tala passed and Sina found Moana desperately packing up to leave, she did not keep her daughter from the call she had always felt, but instead encouraged her in that pivotal moment.

When Moana returned from her voyage, bringing with her _the demigod Maui_ of all people, and shared the story of their journey, Tui began to see what Tala seemed to have known all along—their ancestry as voyagers was not to be feared, but embraced.

Moana truly was extraordinary, and Tui was glad his mother had seen it when he had insisted otherwise.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted a Moana AU/fic that incorporated the idea that she originally had six brothers (in the original screenplay (or was it 12? I went with 6, regardless) and the fact that now she’s the only girl and takes over as chief. I'm not used to girls taking over as chief/leader except in certain cases so I wanted to kinda explore that.  
> Tui and Sina do a look a little bit older when she’s a baby, almost, so… miscarriages? Or they had children but said children wandered too far and weren’t saved in time and that’s another reason Tui and Sina discourage Moana from being near the ocean and they, like, can SEE that she’s Chosen but it terrifies them that she’ll end up like Tui’s friend and her siblings and they (Tui especially) try to keep her from that for as long as possible.  
> And they’re so happy when she chooses to stay and lead but they still see her yearn for the ocean and adventures and slowly begin to accept that and then embrace their heritage as voyagers.
> 
> Like, why else would Tui name his kid after the very thing he tries to keep her away from?  
> Because he wants to remind himself to keep her safe, but also even from infancy he sees (and maybe Tala points out) her connection with the water.  
> It’s a name that holds multiple types of significance: of memory, and fear, and of accepting her true calling.
> 
> Deleted song “More” apparently has a line about Tala naming Moana, so Tui either gave her the honor or she just decided and he had to go with it. Or maybe it was a tradition thing??  
> Tala seems most connected to their heritage and history of everyone on the island, and probably she can tell who is destined for certain things, like Moana and the ocean.


End file.
